Love for the Loveless
by Aerisa
Summary: Aeris has loved Cloud ever since she set eyes on him, but there is someone else who hides his love for her. Rated R for some sexual content, language, and violence. Finally updated!
1. Night's Tale

Disclaimer: most of these characters are not, unfortunately, mine, but are from FF7. There, now that I'm not a crook, read on!  
  
Love for the Loveless  
  
"Thanks for helping clear the monsters out of the valley, Aeris."  
  
"No problem, not that you really needed my help, we only ran into a few creatures today."  
  
Cloud smiled and gave Aeris a playful nudge with his shoulder.  
  
"It'll be worse once the weather improves. Besides, I always need you."  
  
Aeris' breath caught in her throat. She smiled and gazed at Cloud longingly, before turning away, her cheeks turning pinker than the cold had already made them. She wondered what exactly Cloud wanted from her. In the past months Cloud has paid much more attention to me, and when he kissed me the other night... I can't get him out of my mind. He knows I've liked him for ages. Could he be feeling what I feel?  
  
Before she realized what happened they were back at the inn. They entered and shook the show off of their jackets. Vincent, Tifa and Barrett were sitting in the lounge, gathered around the fire for warmth. Tifa and Barrett nodded their acknowledgement of the two before turning back to the fire.   
  
Cloud leaned in and whispered something in Aeris' ear that caused shivers to run up and down her spine, ending in a place that made her blush once more. Cloud chuckled and pulled her close, placing his mouth over hers, demandingly, forcefully. Aeris' mind exploded with delight, she ran her hands through his hair, wanting nothing more than him, forever and always. Aeris gasped and pulled away, turning towards their friends. Barrett and Tifa hadn't noticed, Vincent said nothing but got up and silently fled up the stairs.   
  
Cloud whispered to Aeris one word "Later." His breath was hot, passionate, and Aeris longed for later to come.  
  
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Vincent opened the door to his room, closed and locked it, and sat in a chair that faced the empty bed and windows. I can't stand this. Cloud is using her, my beautiful, intelligent, amazing…  
  
He got up and paced around the room, began to speak out loud to himself.  
  
"He doesn't want anything from you but sex, meaningless sex. He wants you for the night; I want you for the rest of our lives. Why can't you see that?" He looked up at the ceiling, searching for answers, knowing he'd find none.   
  
"You and I are perfect together. When we go out we talk and laugh… we confide in each other, we've been friends for so long. I've never said anything to her… it's my fault. But she has eyes for only Cloud. Is it physical, or does she really… love… him?" He shook his head, trying uselessly to get this thought out of his head. If she loved Cloud, then he could have no chance, he couldn't take this thought. He wanted a distraction.  
  
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Aeris laid her head on the pillow. Thoughts of Cloud kept her turning, restless, unsatisfied. She looked over at the clock, 2:36. She sighed and turned over.  
  
Half asleep and still dreaming about him, she suddenly sat upright, fully awake now. Footsteps were coming down the hall. She heard them halt in front of her door. Her heart pounded, as if trying to escape from her chest. There was a soft knock. She gasped. Sliding her feet over the edge of her bed, she softly got up and walked, as if in a dream, to the door. She laid her hand on the doorknob, paused, and quietly, slowly, opened it to admit him.  
  
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Vincent walked down the street, finding the place he was looking for. He looked around before entering, opened the door, and walked in. He was told to choose a girl. He glanced at each before choosing the one that had long brown hair, and reminded him of her. The great sadness came over him again. Determined to rid himself of it, he chose her, paid his gil, and was led away to the sound of the rest still standing there, giggling and pressing themselves against another man who was apparently a regular.  
  
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"Cloud."  
  
He pressed his finger against her lips. Moving forward, he gently pressed her further into the room, closing the door behind him. He sat her on the bed, and removed the sword that always hung at his side.   
  
This is it. She thought. Cloud took her hand, kissing the tips of her fingers, sending chills up through her arm to the rest of her body. But does he love me? He kissed her arm, her collarbone, her neck… Can I go through with this when we've only just begun seeing each other? She moaned softly when he laid a hand on her shoulder, gently sliding a strap off of her shoulder, kissing the curve of her neck. Putting a hand under his chin, drawing his lips up to hers, she thought no more of anything but Cloud.  
  
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She leaned in, but Vincent turned away.   
  
"No kissing." He whispered. He looked at this girl that he had just paid for, and imagined that it was Aeris sitting beside him, wishing she were his, knowing she belonged to Cloud.   
  
The girl shrugged, not caring. When he looked at her, she almost looked like his beloved, but she was older, less life in her face. Older, with none of the true beauty Aeris possessed. And her eyes were not those of his love. Aeris' eyes were indescribably beautiful, deep, hiding something. Her eyes were more knowing and wonderful that Vincent forgot what he was saying when he looked into them. These girls' eyes were plain, hiding nothing, dulled by years of this profession.  
  
The girl unceremoniously stepped out of her faded dress, moved her hands over his body, pulling off his jacket. Vincent closed his eyes, trying to imagine Aeris.   
  
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Aeris gasped and pulled Cloud to her, his eyes intent, hers glazed with the moment. When it was over she lay next to him, breathing slowly and deeply. He was restless, moved around, finally turning towards her. "I have to go."  
  
Aeris opened her eyes to look at him in confusion. "What? But, why-"   
  
But Cloud had already gotten up, and was pulling his pants and shirt on. He grabbed his sword and made for the door. Aeris sat up in bed, pulling the sheets up to hold them clenched in her hands under her chin.  
  
She whispered, "Cloud…"  
  
But he had gone.  
  
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Vincent left the building at almost a run, he wanted to die, he felt unclean, disgusted with himself. I am not worthy of even being Aeris' friend. I just had sex with a fucking whore, for crissake! I hate myself for feeling this way…  
  
He turned to walk back to the inn, but could not face it, he could not walk past her door, could not take the thought that Cloud may be with her at this very moment, lustily taking from Aeris all of her innocence and purity. Cloud was deceiving her. Vincent felt all of these feelings gathering in him, and the prevailing one was rage. Pure rage that boiled like fire inside of his heart. He wanted to find Cloud, find him and then rid him of every appendage he had. Rip his head off, feel his blood spilling out, watch him slowly sink to the floor in agony, and finally to a slow and painful death.  
  
Not knowing where to go, Vincent turned toward away from the inn. His eyes narrowed. He had found the perfect way to rid himself of some of this anger. Turning toward the valley, he began to walk.   
  
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He heard the creature before he saw it. Peering around a large tree, he spotted it. A large monster that was about seven feet tall with wings and fangs that were currently burying themselves into innocent prey. Vincent summoned the anger and rage he felt before stepping into the monsters sight.   
  
It spotted him immediately. Vincent knew from experience that this kind of monster did not kill for food, but for fun. It wanted to see death, to feel it, and to be the cause of it. Normally the whole team would take on a monster such as this, but Vincent stood alone. He felt just as the monster did at that moment. He wanted to feel death in his hands. If it could not be Cloud, it would be this creature. He drew a long sword, the forest echoing with a ringing sound as he unsheathed it. This creature would die tonight, but not before he had caused it as much pain as possible. 


	2. Old Friends

Aeris lay in bed. Her mind was blank, her eyes wide, tinted red from softly falling tears. She lay this way until the sun shone through the window. It was then when one thought pushed it's way through the fogginess-  
  
_He left.  
_  
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Making her way slowly down the stairs of the inn, Aeris spotted everyone sitting at a table, eating breakfast. Her gaze halted when it spotted Cloud. He was sitting with untouched food in front of him, steadfastly avoiding her gaze. She paused only momentarily on the bottom step before joining the group at the table.  
  
"Aeris! What's happened to you? Is, is something-"  
  
"No, Tifa." Aeris weakly held up a hand.   
  
"Everything is fine. Perfect."  
  
Cloud looked down at his plate, his mouth clenched shut, saying nothing. Red XIII finally broke the silence. He cleared his throat before beginning,  
  
"There was another monster sighting this morning. The person didn't get a good enough look at it for identification. I don't think it's just one either, there have been so many sightings, with the same description, and in different areas that I think there could be several."  
  
Cloud lifted his eyes to glance quickly around the table at everyone, avoiding only one.   
  
The sound of the front door opening and closing brought everyone to attention, and all looked toward the entranceway.  
  
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Someone gasped. The sound of silverware hitting a plate was the only noise to follow.   
  
It took several moments for anyone to recognize the person who was standing in the door. There was no place on his body that was not dyed a hideous red. The blood was in his hair, running down his arms, ending at his fingertips, which were an especially dark claret color. His shirt was torn, revealing a deep, painful looking tear in his flesh, running almost the entire length of his arm. It looked as though this person had killed something, and then ripped it apart with his bare hands. The first to recognize the person was Red XIII, who whispered questioningly in a low, raspy voice,  
  
"Vincent?"  
  
A chair clattered to the floor and Aeris was at his side. She touched his blood tinted face, eyes staring in horror. Shakily she began to speak, but he shook his head.  
  
"Most of this isn't mine. Only here." He pointed to his left side.  
  
Aeris carefully ran a hand gently over the wound. Vincent grimaced, but the pain soon gave way to worry when he saw the scared look on Aeris' face.  
  
"Really, I'm fine. I just got into a little fight with one of the monsters in the valley."  
  
The others at the table finally rose, as if waking from a trance, and came over to where Vincent and Aeris were standing.  
  
"A little fight?" Barrett exclaimed. "It looks more like you took on a couple Behemoths."  
  
"Actually, only one." If it were possible, all the eyes in the room grew even wider. Everyone began to speak all at once,  
  
"A Behemoth?"  
  
"By yourself? Why would you-"  
  
"You killed it? Where-"  
  
Cloud's voice won out,  
  
"You took on a full grown, dangerous, blood thirsty Behemoth by yourself? What in the world would make you do something so foolish?" His voice was strained; he looked disbelievingly at Vincent, who still looked as if he had bathed in a pool of blood. Vincent's eyes narrowed angrily.  
  
"It's our job in this place, isn't it? Rid the valley of dangerous beasts? Well now there's one less to worry about." Shoving past Cloud, he made his way to the stairs. They heard Vincent enter his room, and then silence. Looking at his shoulder where Vincent had hit him, Cloud saw a dark red stain.  
  
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Entering the shower, Vincent turned the water on, letting it steam away the blood. He watched the water turn red and disappear down the drain. He winced as the stream hit the gash on his arm, then sighed. When he had gotten as much of the blood off of him as was possible, he stepped out of the shower. As he was finishing getting dressed, there was a knock at the door, and a voice.  
  
"Vincent?" He paused and looked at the door. It was her. He opened the door and stepped aside to allow her to enter. When he had closed it again, she turned to look at him.   
  
"I, I came to heal you." Vincent nodded, unable to speak. He slowly removed his shirt and sat on the bed. She kneeled on the bed facing him. She lifted a hand and ran it the length of the injury. His skin trembled where she touched it. She breathed deep, and bent her head down. When she did, her long hair slipped over her shoulder and brushed his skin. He inhaled sharply with the pain of her closeness, knowing nothing could come of it.   
  
Aeris heard him gasp and looked up.  
  
"I didn't hurt you, did I?" When he looked down at his arm, it was healed. He breathed out.  
  
"No." Aeris smiled, and the beauty Vincent saw in her caused his heart to break with unreciprocated love. He stood and moved a few steps from the bed, facing away from her, trying to numb the pain. He heard her stand as well; she rested a hand on his shoulder.  
  
"Is something the matter, Vincent?" He closed his eyes; her voice sounding out his name was so wonderful.  
  
"No. No, it just hurts."   
  
"The phantom pain should dull soon, it doesn't last very long after the wound is healed." Vincent nodded. Aeris moved to sit back on the bed. There was no way to tell her that the pain he was feeling he had felt for a long time, and it wouldn't ever leave. He pushed this pain to the back of his head while they talked of the monsters, the warming weather that would inevitably bring more, and where they might go after this job was complete. Eventually there was a pause, and Aeris looked at him.  
  
"Can I talk to you about something?" Vincent nodded, his heart stopping for a fraction of a second with a glimmer of hope.  
  
"Well-" she paused for a second. "You know how I have feelings for Cloud, right?" Vincent froze. He cursed himself. _Of course it was Cloud you asshole. It was always him. She could never return the feelings that you have for her. You were a fool for ever thinking she could. Don't tell her anything about how you feel, it would only upset her._ He resigned himself to continue the conversation, even while his heart was ready to stop beating just to end the pain. He swallowed, and managed only a quiet  
  
"Yes."  
  
Aeris nodded, and looked down. She was silent for a long while. Vincent looked away. When his eyes returned to her, he saw a tear running down her face. He rushed to her side, kneeling in front of her, taking her hands in his. She raised her eyes to his. She gave into the pain she was feeling, she shook as more tears fell. At that moment Vincent would have given his life up just to stop her from crying so.  
  
"Aeris-" But he could think of no words. She started to speak rapidly, her thoughts spilling out confusedly.  
  
"Oh Vincent! I just don't know what to do, and you and I are such good friends. I just needed someone to talk to; he doesn't even-" She broke off, unable to speak through the tears.   
  
Vincent sat next to her on the bed, and embraced her gently, softly whispering comforting words in her ear. He held her until the tears stopped. She took his hand in hers and rested her head on his shoulder. She spoke so softly Vincent had to strain to hear her,  
  
"I just-" She breathed deeply. "I don't know if he really loves me. I mean, what if he- what if the other night-" Vincent squeezed her hand.  
  
"Don't talk like that."  
  
"But Vincent-"  
  
"If he doesn't love you than he is the greatest fool that has ever walked the planet."   
  
They were silent, both with thoughts of love and the pain it can cause running through their minds. At length Aeris lifted her head to look with downcast eyes across the room. She took Vincent's hand in hers, intertwining her fingers with his. A sad smile appeared on her lips as she spoke,  
  
"Thank you."   
  
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Cloud's sword whistled through the air, quickly ending the life of a pitiful Cactuar. Cloud made a quick stabbing motion, impaling the already dead creature as it fell to the ground. He then turned and began wiping the blood from his sword.  
  
"Is it just me, or are you killing with more force than necessary?" Cloud looked at Tifa, and they began to walk.  
  
"We're here to kill monsters, that's all I'm doing."   
  
"Hmm." They walked without speaking, slaying the few monsters they ran across.   
  
Cloud had laid awake for a good portion of the night before. He had seen Aeris entering Vincent's room. _What had she told him? It's not like I don't have any feelings for her_, he thought.  
  
"Cloud, why are you doing it?" Tifa roused him from his thoughts. He replied with a hint of frustration in his voice. Tifa noticed it, and goaded him on.  
  
"You'll only end up hurting everyone, in the end." Cloud stopped.  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about." Tifa chuckled, walking towards him, who still had his back turned to her.   
  
"I mean, as you perfectly well do know, this whole you and Aeris thing. You know you don't love her. You've only ever loved one person." She walked around to face him. She looked at him for a long moment, and then stepped closer. She traced a finger from his ear down to his chest.   
  
"And that person-" She pushed him slightly with her finger.  
  
"-Is me." She turned on a heel and began to walk away from him. As the shock of her statement wore off, Cloud's anger rose. He grabbed her arm and pulled her back to face him. He held both of her arms tightly, looking angrily at her. He hissed,  
  
"That's not true." Tifa laughed harshly and wrenched her arms out of his grasp. She spoke with an even tone, yet the anger in it was evident.  
  
"You know it is. You still think of that night at the well, when we were young. You remember what we talked about, the promise you gave to me. Yes, you recall it perfectly."  
  
"Of course I remember. But that was a long time ago, we were children. I don't love you now. I don't. I've moved on." Tifa looked hard at him, scrutinizing his gaze, before smiling a wicked smile.  
  
"Who are you trying to convince of that Cloud?" She stepped closer, grabbing the front of his shirt and pulling him to her. She looked at him for an instant, and then pressed her lips hard against his. She kissed him passionately. Running her hands through his hair, then bringing them down to his shoulders, his chest. Finally Cloud gave himself completely into her, and put his arms around her, drawing her in tightly against him. It was then she knew she had gotten him, and she pulled away.   
  
Cloud looked at her with incredulity. Tifa smiled once more and said quietly but firmly,  
  
"Now try telling me you don't love me." She turned on a heel and started walking, leaving Cloud still as a statue, where he had stood a moment before. 


	3. Fair Moon Rises

Thanks lots to everyone who has reviewed so far, I know this is short but hopefully more soon!

A loud knocking at the door awakened Aeris. She opened it to find Cloud in full armor.  
  
"Everyone needs to meet downstairs, now. Get dressed, and hurry." His eyes were hard as he looked at her, conveying a sense of urgency. Aeris felt this right away. She nodded, shutting the door and hurrying to get dressed. What was the problem she did not know, but it was something serious.  
  
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Everyone had responded to Cloud's alarm quickly. Cloud, Tifa, Aeris, Vincent, Barrett, and Red XIII were gathered standing in the entrance room of the inn. The group talked in hushed voices to each other while Cloud attempted to contact the other members of their group.  
  
"None of them can make it in time. Yuffie and Cid are grounded somewhere near Wutai, and who knows when Cid can get the plane up again. Caitsith is still wrapping up some business with the Gold Saucer. It looks like we'll have to do this alone." Barrett, who had been shifting his weight from foot to foot for a while finally burst out,  
  
"Are you actually going to inform the rest of the members of this team what the hell is going on, or are we expected to march blindly into whatever danger there might be with absolutely no information?" Barrett glared at Cloud in impatience while Cloud remained calm and morose. This made the rest of the team all the more concerned; Cloud usually would have had an angry word or two for Barrett.  
  
"Alright then. I'll waste no more time." He cast a quick glance around the group. He then continued on with the solemn tones that a doctor takes on to inform the next of kin.  
  
"There is a large group of highly intelligent monsters. For one reason or another, they have decided to band together, fight all who oppose them as a team. There have been several deaths already- village people who had entered the valley for one reason or another." After a pause, where the information sunk in, Aeris finally asked quietly,  
  
"What kinds of monsters are these exactly?"  
  
"No one knows for sure, there have only been a few sightings so far. Many of the people who could have told us that are now dead." Cloud looked down for a moment before continuing.  
  
"Only recently did people begin to realize what the monsters were doing. There had been fewer sightings of single monsters, and more where over two or three were together at once. Then I heard of a man that saw these creatures in the valley, saw them corner some lesser beast by using what appeared to be a sort of battle formation. The man claims he himself was lucky to escape with his life. I won't lie to you all- there's, there's a chance that one or more of us may not return from this mission." He let his words ring in the air. Barrett cleared his throat nervously,  
  
"We have no ties to this job. We could leave right now, with no guilt." Cloud's voice rose slightly when he replied,  
  
"No guilt? Barrett, people are dying. This little town would be defenseless the minute we left it." Red XIII agreed,  
  
"Cloud's right. We can't just leave them to fend for themselves, they don't even have an armory."  
  
"It seems to me we should not waste any more time arguing amongst ourselves."  
  
"Vincent's right." Cloud stepped forward. "Anyone who will fight, we will convene at the little item shop closest to the valley in ten minutes. I suggest you go to your rooms and collect materia, potions, weapons, whatever you may need for this battle. I don't want to lose anyone."   
  
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The moon had yet to rise. The wary members of Avalanche were silhouettes, mere shadows in the night. It was difficult to make out each person in the darkness, it was so consuming. Yet every person was present. Each wore their most powerful weapons in anticipation of a battle.   
  
"What exactly is our plan of attack?" Tifa looked around at the poorly lit faces of her friends inquiringly. "Is it really in our best interest to barge in there knowing nothing about what we are about to fight, or the best way to attack?" The others looked about, unsure.  
  
"Perhaps we should use tonight to find out just that." Aeris jumped involuntarily, the voice that had spoken came from a direction she had believed no one was standing. The others also had been surprised, some gasping, others reaching for their weapons. Vincent had been leaning against the item shop, and was next to impossible to see in the darkness, as he was still as a rock, and dressed completely in black. When he moved to join the group that was standing a few feet away, they recognized him and collectively let out the breath they had been holding nervously. Barrett softly breathed out,  
  
"Jesus-"   
  
"I think we're all a little on edge, I know I am." Tifa nervously tightened one of the straps holding the Dragon Claw in place. Aeris nodded,  
  
"Why don't we split up, search the valley and see if we can find out what kind of creatures we're up against. We'll be able to form a better plan of attack once we know this." Everyone agreed. Tifa chimed in,  
  
"Pairs of two?" Barrett shook his head,  
  
"Too little, why not two teams of three?"  
  
"With three groups instead of two we can canvas a greater area and have a greater chance of finding the monsters." After a few more minutes of arguing, it was agreed that two would be the wiser choice.  
  
"How are we going to choose who goes with who?" Tifa looked to Cloud expectantly, but Red XIII spoke first.  
  
"Match powers. If there should be a group that needs to fight, they must be matched well." No one could argue with this logic, so he continued.  
  
"Barrett and Tifa would be good together. Tifa has short range attacks and Barrett can handle long range. Cloud and I, seeing as how I handle the magic part well, and Cloud is strong in the physical attacks. Aeris and Vincent are well matched for much the same reason, Aeris specializes in magic, and Vincent is a strong fighter." Tifa was the only one to raise a weak argument,  
  
"But we all can do everything, you can't just say-" Aeris interrupted,  
  
"Of course we can all use physical and magical attacks, but we can't argue that some of us aren't more developed in certain areas." Everyone consented.  
  
"Look!" Vincent pointed to the sky. The moon was rising, and bathed the land in an eerie bluish glow. Cloud spoke faintly,  
  
"If we're going, now's the time." 


	4. A First Encounter

Taking care to tread lightly, Aeris and Vincent wove quietly through the mazes of trees and brush. Aeris slowly put one foot in front of another, lifting branches and low hanging vines out of the way. Vincent followed, silent and dark as a shadow. Both kept a sharp eye out for any signs of a monster.

The night was eerily devoid of any sound. It was as if all of the creatures of the night had fled, leaving behind nothing but empty nests and burrows. Not even the wind could be heard whistling through the branches, as it did most nights. The only noise to be heard was their own movements, their own hushed breathing. From somewhere far in the distance an owl announced its presence, but the overwhelming silence soon enveloped this sound as well.

Time passed slowly in this tomblike atmosphere. Each person felt the stillness closing in, pressing on their skin. Some felt it almost necessary to scream, just to reassure themselves that they had not gone deaf.

Vincent stopped in mid-step, whispering as softly as possible, "Aeris," She stopped, turning to face him. Both were mere silhouettes to the other. The light of the moon lit up the ground in a bluish hue. "Listen."

The pair stood, still as the night itself. They strained their ears, attempting to detect any small, faint noise. After several moments, they heard it. A very faint rustling of leaves, almost too far off to be heard at all. Vincent motioned towards the direction in which it came from. Aeris nodded, and together they set off, tracking the sound. Every now and then they would pause, and reassure themselves that they were still traveling in the correct direction. The sound grew louder and more distinct with each pause, until one time when Aeris held up a hand to still Vincent, who had just begun to move. Soon he realized why she had done this. It now sounded as if the noise was actually coming towards them, whatever it was had turned around.

Aeris turned quickly around, eyes wide. Moving for cover behind a large, old, gnarled tree, they waited. Each moment the noise grew louder, and they unconsciously checked to make sure that their weapons were at the ready. As they listened, the noise unexpectedly stopped. Aeris inhaled sharply and reached out to grasp Vincents hand. After what seemed like hours, a new noise was introduced to the stillness. A deep, rumbling growl that seemed to shake the very earth under their feet. Aeris' grip on Vincents hand tightened as the sound of running feet reached their ears.

Vincent slowly crept to the edge of the tree, and glanced around.

There was a clearing in the forest only about twenty yards away. Into this clearing ran a woman. Her body shook with exertion and with tears that ran down her face, reflecting back the moonlight. She had dark hair in a loose, disheveled braid, and large, frightened eyes. Her clothes looked as though they had been at one time elegant and neat, but now were torn and stained with dirt and blood. A young girl, almost being dragged by the woman, was clutching her hand. The little ones sleeve was wet with blood, staining the blue shirt a deep maroon. Vincent and Aeris, still hiding a ways off in the woods, saw with sickening horror a monster emerging from the woods opposite their positions.

Standing about six feet tall, the thing had claws that looked as if they could tear a person in half at any given second, and wings that were folded partway out, slowly beating back and forth. Its slime covered skin shone in the moonlight, iridescent, a mixture of blacks, purples, and greens. The woman and child froze at the sight of this monster. As all four humans looked on, the monster slowly moved into the clearing, and then began to stretch its wings, until they were fully extended. Opening its wide jaws, revealing three inch fangs, it screamed. The sound filled every living thing with dread. It sounded as if hundreds of people, men and women, young and old, were screaming all at once. It ripped through the air, tearing the silence to shreds. The scream slowly faded as the creature lowered its head to glare at the couple in the clearing with black, empty eyes.

For a moment, no one could move. The woman finally recovered, and began to run away, but another monster appeared from that direction. When they turned, another had appeared. The three creatures began to move closer to the pair. There was no possible escaping from their grasp. The woman realized the hopelessness of the situation, and knelt down to encircle the child in her arms, "No, please, God no..." She sobbed wildly, screaming, begging. She cried, "Please, please someone, spare the child," Two of the monsters halted. One, a wolf like creature, continued moving towards them. Upon hearing the womans plea, if it was possible, the creature seemed to laugh. It circled around and around the pair in the clearing. Her cries grew softer; she whispered repeatedly, "Please, please no, oh God no." Clutching the child to her breast, she followed the wolfs moves with red, horror stricken eyes.

After the three beasts had appeared Aeris and Vincent split up, heading in opposite directions around the perimeter of the circle that the beasts made up. Remaining as out of sight as possible until they had reached the two creatures that were furthest away from the pair.

Aeris looked at the winged creature. Any fear she had was quelled by the pleas of the woman. This beast was evil, and would die tonight. As she was preparing to attack, she saw the thing look up suddenly. It was staring at something in the woods. She realized with a start that it had seen Vincent. If she did not strike at that moment, it would go after him, and he would be faced with the surprise attack of the monsters. She would have to act quickly, and strongly.

Without wasting any time, she cast her highest level Bolt at the monster. It screamed once again, repeating the sound she had never wished to hear again in her lifetime. At the same time Aeris saw Vincent attack the other monster, some kind of round, spine covered creature, with his Supershot.

The winged creature turned towards Aeris, baring its long fangs and spreading its wings. It lunged at her with surprising speed, wings beating, claws extended. Aeris quickly dodged the brunt of the attack by raising her Aurora rod to deflect its hand. In the second it took the creature to recover, she shot at it with a powerful Ice spell. The creature was weakened, but not nearly enough. It stared at her with its black, marble like eyes. It moved again, equally swiftly, to strike at her with a claw. This time when she raised the rod to block the blow, the creatures wing struck out, knocking it into the forest to her left. In one instant she saw this happen, and in the next she was on her side. She had received the creatures blow on her shoulder, and was bleeding profusely from it. She looked down at the wound, and saw the gleaming white of bone among the river of blood. She felt the world spinning and stars flew in front of her eyes. With an enormous feat of strength, she stood.

Aeris grasped at her wound with her right arm, searching desperately with her eyes for her lost weapon. She looked up to see Vincent in the distance. The clouds in her mind instantly cleared when she saw that his creature had cast death spell on him, and that he was running out of time. The winged creature used this moment of distraction to kick at Aeris with a powerful blow to the stomach. She fell violently into a tree behind her, gasping for air. The creature raised one claw to the base of her neck, and pressed lightly. It cut through her skin with almost no pressure at all. She cried out in pain as it then slowly traced its claw down to her shoulder, and partway down her arm, drawing a bright red line in her skin. It seemed pleased with her suffering. It withdrew its claw, and raised its hand high in the air, preparing to strike. She had no strength to resist, weak from loss of blood. She pressed herself against the tree, preparing to receive the blow, closing her eyes. A second later she heard a growl and opened her eyes in time to see Red XIII hit the creature full in the side, landing on top of it, striking it fiercely in the face and chest. The thing died, not before cutting Red in the stomach, and not before screaming one last time, louder that ever before.

Red XIII rushed to Aeris, who had fallen to the ground in shock. She felt the darkness closing in around her, and just before she succumbed to it she managed to murmur, "Vincent needs you."

Looking around, he saw Vincent, only seconds left in his sentence. Wasting no time, Red used his Stardust Ray to finish off the thing attacking him. Vincent was weak, but safe from further damage. He had several wounds, but paid no attention to them or to Reds questions. When he learned that she had only fainted, and would be all right, they both turned their attention to the final creature.

All this time the wolf had remained near the woman and child, keeping them from moving, but watching the battles as well. The woman begged for help from the two. They began to move towards the wolf, but both stopped when it struck the woman with one of its massive paws. She lay sprawled on the ground, gasping for air and the wolf pressed a paw on her neck. It looked as though it was daring them to come any closer. In a choked, raspy voice, the woman managed to utter, "the child." For several moments there was no movement, only the sound of the womans struggles. Then, in so quick a motion that it all only took seconds to occur, Red XIII dashed forward and grasped the cowering childs collar in his teeth, flinging her like a rag doll into Vincents arms. The wolf at the same time growled, and pressed his paw hard on the womans neck, then raked his claws across it before fleeing into the woods. Soon the sound of his retreat faded, and was replaced by the muffled sound of the child sobbing in Vincents arms, her face pressed into his shoulder.


	5. The Girl

Sorry for the huge pause, there's been a lot going on in my life! If this chapter is short, I promise to do my best to update somewhat regularly.

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Gently Vincent laid the sleeping child on a couch in the lounge of the inn. The poor girl had fallen asleep sobbing quietly in Vincent's arms as he carried her out of the woods. 

"They must have been running for a long time." Aeris commented, as she looked over Vincent's shoulder at the tiny girl asleep on the couch. "She was so exhausted, and it looks as though she hasn't eaten for days. The mother too…"

Aeris trailed off, thinking about the mother who had cared only for her child's life, and who had lost her own.

Red XIII came over to Vincent and Aeris, "It's late; now that everyone's back I think it would be wise to rest, and discuss this night later tomorrow."

Everyone agreed, no one was overly eager to think or talk about the night's events. Aeris offered to let the girl have her bed, and she would sleep on the floor. "If she wakes up in the night, someone will be there to comfort her, to explain…" The image of the girl's mother, lying lifeless on the ground, flashed through Aeris' mind.

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Late that night Aeris awoke to the sound of the girl crying softly in the bed. When Aeris sat up to look, the girl jumped, and her eyes grew wide and afraid,

"Where is my mother? Where am I?" Her enormous blue-gray eyes welled up with tears and she pulled the covers up to her chin.

Aeris sat back on her heels and held on to the very edge of the bed, "Don't worry, child. You're completely safe here with my friends and I. You don't ever have to worry about whatever was chasing you again. My friends and I protect people against bad things like those you saw last night."

"Where is my mommy?" The girl looked into Aeris' eyes. "She died, didn't she? She's gone away forever."

Aeris tried hard not to let her face show the shock she felt when she heard the girl say this. She had sounded like she had been expecting her mother to die all along. She sounded resigned to the fact.

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid that she has passed on, and gone to a better place." Silent tears ran down the girl's face. Aeris moved to embrace her, but the girl shied away, pulling the blanket back up to her chin.

Aeris sat back on her heels at the side of the bed. "My name is Aeris. What's yours?"

The girl paused before glancing up, in the dark Aeris saw her hesitate before saying, "Renata."


End file.
